Twins to Thailand.... helpful advice needed

[flutterby]

We are taking our twins to Thailand in December - they'll be 10 months old. Does anyone have any advice on what to take?

We've bought a playpen and a portable tent/baby cot but we're not sure what else could come in handy.... clearly, there's a limit to how much we can carry and the weight allowance on the plane.

Also, we're flying with BA and have been told we can't pre-book the bassinet seats - has anyone got advice on how best to secure them? (arrive 3 and a half hours before flying is advice from BA).

All helpful tips welcome.

Thanks

F

[Ruth_Baldock]

BA normally seat you at the front of the row of seats where he bassinets are- they will go through the roster before the flight to see who is travelling with infants under 2yrs. We flew long haul with ba with a 3mo and 22mo old, they told us this was their policy/procedure. Be prerpared to sit next to total strangers- I was sitting next to a bloke who knew me VERY well by the end of the fligh- I was feeding the baby for a good 4 out of those seven hours...

[Indiana]

Hello

We flew BA to Singapore recently and were able to choose our seats beforehand. Unfortunately the bassinet seats had gone on the way out but when I spoke to them they told me the flight was only half full. So I therefore booked a window seat and an aisle seat hoping noone would then choose the seat in between. We were lucky as this is what happened so we got an extra seat.

However, I was able to book the bassinet seat for the flight on the way back (though they cannot totally guarantee that a bassinet will be available to strap to the table).

I would recommend you calling BA again and discussing it with them - not sure why they have told you that you can't pre-choose this seat - they are usually pretty good.

Re other stuff - new toys, books that the babies haven't seen. Change of clothes for them (and you - just in case)!

[spongebob]

Take some good Insect repellant with high Deet content, a mosquito net or two just in case wouldn't be a bad thing.

[Indiana]

Deet not great for little ones I think? We took junior insect repellant and then also used plug-in repellants in her room and yes, mosquito net.

[stardust]

I did a long haul flight to India with my twins when they were 10 months. We had bassinets, but to be honest they wouldn't settle in it for very long periods at a time - one probably would have been enough.

However, they did try to seat us at opposite ends of the plane. There is the safety thing that you cannot sit 2 babies per row, due to the number of safety masks that they have, but as I was breast feeding babies at this time I found it very frustrating that they wanted to sit us so far apart. However, i think we managed to swap with other kind passengers, (who obviously did not want to be sitting too close to two screaming babies!)

As for what to bring, mosquito repellent, hats and sun block a must. Small toys for the flight, and as many books as you can carry!

Good luck!

[spongebob]

Had no idea Deet was not suitable for young ones. Sorry!

[bkkmei]

Hiya

If you are passing through Bangkok in and out of Thailand then the local (mostly ex-pat) mums & babies group rents out travel cots and car seats. They also have playgroups, usually at ex-pat nurseries. The group is called BAMBI and the website is:

http://www.bambiweb.org/services/resources

http://www.bambiweb.org/services/playgroups

You can also find baby mosquito repellent made by Johnsons in Thailand, and I found this pretty effective for my son, and also for myself actually!

There are also Boots branches in Thailand. And I thought the best nappy brand was Mamy Poko.

Also many of the shopping centres in Bangkok e.g. Emporium, Central etc. have dedicated children play areas & small soft play rooms. Nice to get away from the heat sometimes!

Not sure if you are bringing a double buggy... the pavements are not up to much, very bumpy, many gaping potholes...

Thais absolutely LOVE kids. They may want to touch your babies. And waitresses will offer to whisk your little ones away while you're having a meal - can be very nice if you want a few minutes peace.

I used to live in Bangkok so if you have any other questions you can pm me :)

[Audrey]

Also check with BA what the weight limit for the bassinet is - on virgin it is 11kg, so if the babies are likely to be heavier than that by the time you travel they won't be eligible for the bassinets regardless of booking/availability. If they are eligible, sounds like all you can do is check in very early and hope for the best.

I did find that my little lady didn't sleep in the bassinet, but was fine lying in it being entertained, gave me a great break between many many hours of feeding!

[Indiana]

I think BA must have a much higher limit as our daughter was a healthy 20 months when we flew to Bali w BA and I checked with them and it is fine. I think their bassinets are designed for kids up to 2 (then they need a seat). She was a little long for it but slept for 6 + hours

She fell asleep on daddy and then was very carefully transferred to the bassinet. You then have to hope for no turbulence as they must be removed from the bassinet and then strapped to you.

[candj]

BA also have the carseat type of chair that can strap to where the bassinet goes in case your little ones sleep well these. I also found the Boots (as previously mentioned) invaluable where they have an array of baby friendly mosquito repellants and suncreams. I only saw them in Bangkok and not Chiang Mai but there's one in the Bangkok airport. Have a lovely time!

[Indiana]

Ah yes - candj, that's what I mean by what our 20 month daughter slept in. It wasn't the bassinet but the car-seat type thing strapped to the table. I was getting muddled. The bassinets are for little babies.

Also - we used Mamy Poko nappies in Bali and they were fine.

[ibilly99]

An inflatable boat and wellies.

[spongebob]

Where abouts in Thailand are you going to be?

[Pickle]

I've always found that if you get turbulence and are asked to take the babies out of the bassinets, do it very very slowly - chances are the turbulence will be short lived and there's nothing more annoying than having had to lift your baby (potentially waking them) to then find they can go back in 2 minutes later.

[flutterby]

Thank you everyone for the great advice and info. 7 days and counting til we jet off to Koh Samui (the quiet part.... though I'm hoping for a few cocktails at sunset).